News

AllThingsD's Mossberg '70 & Swisher '85 interview Eric Schmidt at 92Y

October 11, 2012

AllThingsD creators Walt Mossberg ’70 and Kara Swisher ’85 interviewed Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, on Oct. 10 at the 92Y about the impact digital technology has on our lives and will have in the future. Alumni, friends of the J-School and patrons of the Upper East Side 92Y attended the event, another in conjunction with the celebration of the J-School’s centennial.

Mossberg, Swisher and Schmidt tackled several complex issues facing the technology community currently, including the difficulty of censorship in China, digital platforms, corporate competition involving patent wars and ground-breaking innovations, like computer-driven cars and Google eyewear.

At the end of the hour-long conversation, the three addressed the future of journalism and successful business models. Schmidt said he sees potential in “new brands that will be much more celebrity-driven,” in addition to traditional news outlets, jokingly suggesting the “Jay-Z Post” as an example.

As far as Google is concerned, however, Schmidt said there are no plans for the company to get involved in purchasing a news organization.